Numbered films



May 11 ,1926. 1,583,769

J. ALLER (FORMERLY J. ALTSCHULER) ET AL NUMBERED FILMS Original Filed Jan. 22 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 DDDDDUUB DURUD- DUDDU z 9 S. I \N\ M ATTORNEYS May 11 1926. 1,583,759

I J. ALLER (FORMERLY.J. ALTSCHULER) ET AL NUMBERED FILMS i l Filed 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 r v11 IIIIIIIIYIIII 3 I M Kai/v Elvrogz 6'9 77 5? i; %M 7, 7/ v I m A TTORNEYJ latented May 11 1 926.

UNITED STATES 1.583.7 9 PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH ALL-ER (IOBMERLY JOSEPH ALTSCEULER). OF LOS A NGELEB, AND DEHETBY ISNOW, OI ARCADIA, CALIFORNIA.

' NUMBERED runs.

Original application fled January 22, 1818, serial No. 213,135. Divided and this application September 22, 1823. Serial No. 664,881.

Our invention relates to the art of producin motion pictures and particularly to pensive and is; used in large quantities by many of the motion picture producing companies. In the manufacture of motion pictures a large amount of film is involved and it is often necessary to discard certain portions or reproduce certain portions.

The principal object of our invention is to provide means by which every foot of film may be. instantly identified and instantly found. I

This we accomplish by givin to each foot of film an identifying mark y which it can be positively identified. The utility of our invention can be best illustrated by considering its use in connection with the production of an actual picture. We will assume that a comedy is to be produced in which there is to be a great deal of rapid action and certain ludicrous situations. In the roduction of such a comedy many thousand feet of negative film may be taken. From this film a positive film is printed and this film is taken by the director into the projecting room and thrown upon the screen. The director orders it to be cut and arranged, and in so doing discards large portions of it. The re-arranged positive is then used as a model for the cutting and arrangement of the original negative. Where large amounts of the original positive negative have been discarded the cutting and rearrangement of the negative is an arduous and difficult task, as the action on the two'films must be compared to identify the film. In using our invention, a negative fihn is used in which each foot is given an identifying mark, and these identiqing marks are printed onthe positive. n producing the reassembled negative, it is simply necessary to compare the marks on the two films, and by duplicating the markings it is possible to immediately produce at a small cost a negative that will print more positives that are exact duplicates of the positive assembled according to directions of the director. a

- After the positives have been released and have gone into actual service in the theatre,

they are often damaged, and it becomes necessary to order reprints for the injured portion. At the present time this is done by identifying the scene and describing the action of the parts immediately before or.

immediately after'the injured portion, speci-l fying the number of fectneeded; By using our invention it is ssible to order the injured film by num r with a itive assurance that the film sent wil agree in every particular with that injured.

A further object of our invention is to provide on each foot of film consecutive serial numbers for the urpose of keeping records and accounting or allof the film.

A. still further object of our invention is to mark on each foot of the film a consecutive serial number accompanied by a date.

It is common practice in the motion picture art for the motion picture producing companies to buy unperforated negative film, which they perforate themselves whenthey are ready to use it, thus taking care ofany shrinkage or other distortion of the film in shipment.

A still further object of our invention is to" provide'means for consecutively numbering and datin each foot of film at the time it is perforate our film numbering device being especially adapted for use in connection with a perforator.

Further objects and advantages will be set forth more in detail hereinafter, or will be evident to one skilled in the art after an inspection of the drawings in connection with the following specification.

In the drawings, which are for illustrative purposes only:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a machine employed in connection with our invention.

Fig. '2 is a plan view of a machine emphiyed in carrying out our invention.

ig. 3 is a section on aplanc represented by the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Q

Fig. 4 is a section on a plane represented by the line H of Fig. 2.

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspectiveviews of the dating slides.

Fig. 7 is a view of the film.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the clutch member as it is being disenga ed.

In Fig. 1 the film num ring machine 11 is shown operating inconnection with a perforator 12, this-perforator-forming no part of the present invention and being that it can slide in a dove-tail groove in a subbase 80 secured to the perforator 12.

Formed in the top of thecase 21 is an exit opening 24 and an inlet opening'25. L0- cated between the openings 24 and 25 is alight slot 26'which opens into a light chamber 27 which is surrounded by a metal case 28. Formed in the center of the case 21' is a central partition 29 to which the case 28 is secured, the case 28 also abutting against one of the covers 22 so as to make a light tight enclosure. Secured to a sleeve 30, which is rigidly secured to a shaft'31, .is a cylindrical shutter 32, this shutter having a light aperture 33 formed axially in the wall thereof, the aperture 33 being of suitable size and shape to register with the light slot 26 when the shutter 32 is in the proper position. Turning freely on the shaft 31 is a sleeve 40, to which a central bevel gear 41 is rigidly secured. The sleeve extends through theside cover 22 and has a band wheel 42- rigidly secured thereon. This band wheel'42 carries a flexible belt 43 which passes over a sprocket 44 carried on a winding spindle 45. This winding spindle 45 carries a reel 46 on which a @printing film 47- is wound up. Mountedon the end of the shaft 31 is an adjusting wheel 50, this wheel being provided with a friction spring 51 pressing against the band wheel 42. The spring 51 has suficient tension so that the wheel 50 and the band wheel 42 move together under normal conditions, but does nothave 'suficient friction to prevent the wheel 50 from bein turned by hand into any position desire-d independently of the wheel 42.

Meshing with the gear 41 is a bevel gear 60 which Is carried on a shaft 61 which terminates in a square head 62 outside the case 21, to which a wrench may be applied if desired. Meshing with the gear 41 on the opposite side of the gear 60 is a bevel gear 63 which is carried on a shaft 64 to which the gear 17 is secured. A Worm 65 is also secured on this shaft, this worm meshing with aworm gear 66 which is carried on a shaft 67 Turning freely on the shaft 67 is a sprocket Wheel 68, this sprocket wheel 68 having pins 69 on the periphery thereof so placed as to engage the printing film 47 which passes thereover. Secured in the end of the sprocket wheel 68 and pro jectmg axially therefrom is a plurality of isesgrce pins 70. Sliding axially on the shaft 67 is a clutch member 71. Secured in the shaft 67 is a pin 72, this pin being normally held in a slot 73 formed in the clutch member 71. The clutch member 71 is held in engagement with the pin 72 and with the pins by means of a compression spring 74 which acts against a small shoulder 75 on the I can turn without turning the sprocket 68..

In practice, a base is provided, this machine 12, and the numbering machine 11 being so mounted that it can be slid along in this base due to the dove-tails 23, so that the gear 17 can be thrown out of engage ment with the gear 16, A roller 81 is provided below the slot 25, and a roller 82 is provided below the slot 24. The printing film 47 is wound off a reel 85 which is mounted on a shaft 86 to which is secured a pinion 87. A gear 88 meshes with the pinion 87 and is secured to a shaft 89 which projects through the side cover 22 of the case and is provided with a square shank '90 on which a wrench may be placed.

base 80 forming a part of the perforating The film 47 passes over the light slot 26.

Printed on the center of the film 47 is a. series of consecutive numbers 100, these numbers being-somewhat shorter thanthe central aperture 101 of the light slot 26. Formed on either side of the central aperture 101 are dating slots 102 and 103. Slid ing in the side of the case are two date slides 104 and 105,-these slides consisting of a metal member having a slot 106 there in and having a celluloid or glass dating late secured thereto. Formed on the dating plate 107 are words, letters, or figures denoting particular days or particular months of a given year. A sufficient number of slides 104 and are rovided to cover all the days and mont Is that the numbering machine is to be operated. The film 120 to be numbered passes through the perforating machine 12, and passes over t e light slot 26 in such a position that the light slot 26 is outside the perforations 121 of that film. Suitabledriving means are provided for all the mechanism, and suitable winding or unwinding means are provided for film 120. This apparatus forming1 no part of the present invention is not i usby a hinged and weighted gate 130.

wheel 50 drives t e shaft 31 w The method of operation of the invention is as follows:

The perforator being suitably driven, the bevel ear '13 drives the bevel gear 17 througi the gears 14 and 16 and the shaft 15. The bevel ear 17 drives the shaft 64 which in turn rives' the gears and 41. The shaft 61 turns freel and is not used for any purpose while t e machine is operating normally. The gear 41 drives the band wheel 42 through the sleeve 40, and the band wheel 42 drives the adjusting wheel 50 throu h the springs 51. The

ich in turn drives the shutter 32. A suitable luminous source, such as an incandescent lamp 126, is placed inside the shutter 32. The belt 43 drives the s rocket 44 and winds up the film 47 in the irection of the arrows. This film passes over the teeth 69 of the s rocket 68 which is driven through the clutc member 71 and the shaft 67 by means .of the worm gear 66 and work 65. The purpose of the worm 65 and the worm gear 66 and the clutch 71 is to rovide for an accurate movement of the m 47 in synchronism with the movement of the film 120. The fihn 120 moves intermittently, due to the mechanism in the perforator 12 being held stationary while the perforations are being made, and then being advanced a certain distance for the purpose of making new perforations? The films 120 and 47 therefore move at right angles to each other and v in perfect synchronism, the film 47 unwinding from the reel 85 and being passed over the rollers 81' and 82. The gearing is so arranged, that the aperture 33 registers with the a erture 26 at one of the stationary per1o s of the films and at regular intervals along the film 120. These intervals can conveniently be one foot, but may be longer or shorter, if desired.

Whenever the aperture 33 registers with the aperture 26, llght from the lamp 126 passes through these apertures and through the celluloid plates 107 and the film 47 to the sensitized emulsion on the film.

It is to be understood that the film 120 is either fully covered by sheathing, not shown, or the whole operation takes place in a dark room, the latter being the usual method 'of procedure. The film 120 has therefore printed on its extreme edge a series of symbols, such as those shown in Fig. 7, and these symbols appear when the film is subsequently developed. These symbols are outside the perforations 121 and usually consist of a letter 133 denoting the month, a number 134 show the day on which it was perforated and a consecutive number 134. While the ap aratus is shown in connection with a per orator 12, and while the film's 120 and'47 are described as being moved intermittently, It is possible to number the film 120 wit out the use of the perforator 12, it simply being run b the film 47 at a constant speed, the film 4 being driven at a constant s edhaving a certain ratio to the s eed o the film 120. The shutter 32 will t en make an exposure at certain definite intervals and the numbers will be printed on the edge of the film. We find that the numbers will be somewhat blurred if the film is run constantly, and prefer the intermittent motion, although a constant s ed is possible and practical and is included in the fundamental conception of our invention. n

It is necessary that the aperture 33 and the shutter 32 register with the light slot 26 when the numbers 100 on the film 47 are ac.- curately over the aperture. This is readily accomplished by sliding the. numbering machine 11 along the base 80, so that the gear 17 is out of mesh with the gear 16, and then placing a crank on the square head 62 of the shaft 61, turning the film 47 until it accurately registers. The shutter 32 isthen turned independently of the band wheel 42 by means of the adjusting wheel 50, the friction of the spring 51 being light enough to allow this. The shaft 61 may also be used to actuate the band wheel 42. i

If it is desired to rewind the fihn, the

clutch member 71 is pulled outwardly, as

- strip.

2. As an article of manufacture, a light sensitive motion picture film strip having an unexposed area or surface and latent images of footage designations along the margin of the unexposed. area or surface, indicating length of the strip from the terminal endthereof.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands on this fifth day of September,

JOSEPH ALLER, (Fmmerly J oseph Altschuler.) DEMETRY ISNOW. 

